Big South Announces Softball All-Decade Teams

Jun 04

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – As part of the Big South’s 30th Anniversary celebration in 2013-14, the Conference is announcing its first-ever All-Decade Teams to recognize the student-athletes and coaches who excelled in their respective sport since the Conference’s founding in 1983. A committee of Big South Conference administrators served as the official voting panel to determine the All-Decade Teams, with fan voting comprising 20 percent of the overall total.

Below are the All-Decade Teams for Softball for the years 1987-89, 1990-99 and 2000-09. Softball became a Conference sport in 1987, and each team features five pitchers, five outfielders, six infielders, one catcher, one utility player, one designated player (1990-99 and 2000-09 only) and one head coach. In case of ties, additional honorees are included.

Softball All-Decade Team candidates were determined based on being at least one of the following: 1) Was a multiple All-Conference honoree at one or more position; 2) Was named an All-American; 3) Is a member of the Big South Conference Hall of Fame; 4) Student-athletes must have been a college graduate or left their respective institution in good academic standing; and 5) Won a Conference Championship as a coach and/or was voted Conference Coach of the Year; and 6) Every All-Conference honoree and Tournament MVP from 1987-89 was included in the candidate pool for the 1987-89 All-Decade Team. Candidates that participated in two different decades were placed in a specific decade based on consultation from member institutions. Candidates were also listed under their primary position during their careers. Member institutions had final determination in regards to inclusion of student-athletes and coaches.

Founded August 21, 1983 by Charleston Southern (then Baptist College) Athletic Director Howard Bagwell and Augusta College President George Christenberry, the Big South Conference has matured into a competitive leader in college athletics while intentionally fostering the academic, personal, social, athletic and leadership development of its student-athletes. The League’s growing presence as an NCAA Division I athletic conference is evident by athletic accomplishments on the national stage, innovative marketing and media partnerships, increased television packages and quality athletic competition. . Comprised of 12 member institutions throughout the Southeast -- Campbell University, Charleston Southern University, Coastal Carolina University, Gardner-Webb University, High Point University, Liberty University, Longwood University, Presbyterian College, Radford University, UNC Asheville, Virginia Military Institute and Winthrop University -- the Big South Conference’s institutions have a remarkable history of achievement and continues to succeed on the field and in the classroom through the League’s 19 championship sports. The Big South Conference: Developing Leaders Through Athletics.